The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

After listening to the King of Huaiyu, Shen Yu felt worried and looked over at Shang JunLin.

Whatever the relationship, the previous emperor was Shang JunLin’s father. It couldn’t be easy for a child to hear that his father was given a green hat.

Shang JunLin’s face didn’t show anything unusual. When he saw Shen Yu look at him, he whispered, “Ah Yu, don’t worry. The King of Huaiyu described quite a show. To be honest, this emperor would like to see it too.”

Shang JunLin didn’t feel any father-son affection for the late emperor. Throughout the ages, fathers are expected to be kind and sons to be filial. However, if a father gave his son not love but multiple assassination attempts, no child would have the slightest bit of fondness for him.

But there was more to the story. Shang JunLin lowered his gaze to conceal the turbulent, ink-black emotion in his eyes. He and the late emperor were divided by the deep-seated hatred of a blood feud involving his mother’s entire family!

After the King of Huaiyu said his piece, he gradually fell silent and looked at Shen Yu with obscure thoughts in his eyes. “Shang JunLin is the son of my dear imperial brother and might turn out exactly the same. You’re such a cute little thing. Don’t give your heart to him.”

Shen Yu didn’t know why the King of Huaiyu was still trying to persuade him. Just as he was about to reply, the King of Huaiyu continued:

“You can’t take him seriously. When my dear imperial brother ascended to the throne, he was passionately devoted to Shang JunLin’s mother. She was his one and only. But look how that turned out. No matter how many solemn oaths of love he swore, they didn’t stop his heart from changing all too quickly. When the late emperor took power, he sealed his empress at the same time. Many people envied how deeply in love they were. But no matter how deep love is, it can’t resist the ravages of time. A mere five years later, the vows he made were thrown away. After the first betrayal, countless more will follow.

“I warned her at the time, but she refused to listen. She fell headlong into a gentle but carefully woven trap and dragged down her entire family in vain.”

“Has the King of Huaiyu said enough?” Shang JunLin’s chilly voice rang out.

“Half the blood in your veins belongs to that man. Do you really think you’ll escape the shackles of your bloodline? Look at the other children he left behind. Which of them isn’t a scourge, each one worse than the last? Don’t think I’m saying these things just to frighten you. A person can’t change his nature, and love runs thin in the blood of the Shang family.”

Shen Yu couldn’t agree with what the King of Huaiyu said. “What about you, King of Huaiyu? Are you unchanged after all these years? The thing that makes people human is the fact we restrain our nature. A normal person knows what to do and what not to do. It’s people who don’t know how to behave that use their ‘nature’ as an excuse.” 

“An interesting argument, perhaps.” As if the last breath of his anger had been dissipated, the King of Huaiyu seemed to shrivel into himself. “Don’t waste any more time on me. The matter ends here. You needn’t investigate further.”

With these words, the King of Huaiyu closed his eyes and refused to say more.

Shang JunLin took Shen Yu outside. When they passed Minister Fang, he ordered, “That’s enough interrogation.”

Minister Fang didn’t know why, but he replied respectfully, “Yes.”

As they walked out of the iron-walled prison into the bright spring scenery outside, the warmth of the sunlight dispelled the cold and gloomy thoughts that followed them from the prison.

As he felt the warmth, Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s so pleasant out here.”

“This emperor told you the dark prison was cold and wet and you shouldn’t come along, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“If I hadn’t gone, the King of Huaiyu definitely wouldn’t have said anything. Your Majesty, it seems he really did know my mother.” After so much effort, Shen Yu had finally found a clue about her. He didn’t want to give up without trying.

“Regarding Shen Yue from before, this emperor ordered someone to investigate further. They didn’t find anything useful, but the palace servants who know her said that her personality suddenly changed one day. This emperor wonders if she suddenly learned something,” Shang JunLin said.

The dividing line had to be the day Shen Yue transmigrated. The original Shen Yue might have known something, but the current Shen Yue might not.

The last time Shen Yu spoke to her, he promised to get her out. In order not to break his word, he told Shang JunLin about it. As for what Shang JunLin arranged after that, Shen Yu hadn’t asked. “Your Majesty, where is Shen Yue now?” 

Shang JunLin: “This emperor sent her to the elderly concubine. She’s impertinent and might have caused trouble elsewhere.”

Shen Yu: “Elderly concubine?”

Shang JunLin: “A concubine of Imperial Grandfather. When this emperor was a child she was kind to me, so I found a secluded place for her to live in the palace.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t pay attention to what the King of Huaiyu said.” Shen Yu came to a halt and grabbed Shang JunLin’s hand. “My father is the Zhenbei Marquis. Do you think the King of Huaiyu is right, that I’m the same as my father?”

“Ah Yu and the Zhenbei Marquis are different, of course,” Shang JunLin answered without thinking. In his eyes, the Zhenbei Marquis wasn’t even worth as much as Shen Yu’s finger.

“And I say Your Majesty and the late emperor are different too.” Shen Yu didn’t want Shang JunLin to live under a shadow because of what the King of Huaiyu said. “Your Majesty is Your Majesty and no one else. How the previous emperor lived has nothing to do with Your Majesty at all.”

“Is Ah Yu worried this emperor might think too much?” Shang JunLin gently took Shen Yu’s hand and clasped it in his palm. “Don’t worry. This emperor knows what kind of person the previous emperor was, and I won’t allow myself to be like him.”

Thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Wang and Minister Fang, the mighty case of the King of Huaiyu finally came to an end. However, the ministers had a heated argument over whether to release the truth about the case.

Some officials wanted it made public, while others thought it should be covered up. After all, it concerned the face of the imperial family itself. If the news was announced, the reputation of the imperial family would be severely damaged, and that would be highly detrimental to the stability of the dynasty.

Shang JunLin got tired of hearing them argue and simply dismissed everyone.

When morning court ended, Prime Minister Wang asked for a private audience. “Your Majesty, what should we do with those men?”

Shang JunLin: “What does the prime minister suggest?”

Prime Minister Wang: “In this servant’s opinion, those men intentionally confounded the imperial bloodline. They should be punished for their crimes.”

Shang JunLin: “Since that’s what the prime minister thinks, let’s do as you say.”

Prime Minister Wang: “Also, there’s one more thing. What should we do with the other people who were found not to be princes?”

Shang JunLin: “If they haven’t committed any crimes, they should be deprived of imperial status. Demote them to commoners and ban them and their descendants from becoming officials for three generations. The prime minister should see to it personally.”

Prime Minister Wang received his orders and left.

In any case, it was necessary for the false sons of the previous emperor to lose the imperial status that didn’t actually belong to them. The false princes who were already deceased also had to be moved out of the imperial mausoleum and reburied elsewhere.

After delegating the matter, Shang JunLin didn’t interfere further. He wasn’t going to pay for the blunders made in the previous emperor’s reign.

After some discussion, it was decided not to reveal all of the charges against the King of Huaiyu. Only the crimes that were appropriate for public disclosure were announced.

Especially regarding the descendants of the previous emperor, this was completely concealed and not made public.

In teahouses and taverns, crowds of people discussed the latest news with relish.

“Did you hear about the King of Huaiyu? Bah, I mean the former King of Huaiyu?”

“I heard. I certainly didn’t expect that. To think the King of Huaiyu, who never went out in public, was actually scheming for decades. If not for His Majesty’s wisdom in seeing through his plans, who knows what might have happened.”

“I don’t want to go through the turmoil that happened ten years ago all over again.”

“Yes, life is better under the current emperor. You can count how many years of peace we’ve had since the emperor came to power. We don’t have to worry about enemies attacking the city gates all the time.”

“Then there’s the Qian family. Before they were practically tyrants in the capital, but His Majesty dealt with them too. Didn’t people used to say the Qian family was clinging to the King of Li, and His Majesty wouldn’t touch them? That’s what I thought, but His Majesty settled accounts with them too.”

“That’s right. I heard the King of Li is having a hard time lately. He was even confined during the New Year.”

“True. It doesn’t matter if you’re related to the imperial family. If you commit a crime, His Majesty will punish you.”

“Judging from the recent cases, His Majesty arrested everyone for a reason. Do you think the officials His Majesty dealt with before had problems too?”

“Well… It’s not impossible. Remember before the announcement when we all thought Imperial Censor Zhang was innocent? As it turned out, he was the least innocent person around!”

On the second floor of the teahouse, a young man in a cyan robe stood by the window, listening to the discussion of the people downstairs.

Another young man in a light blue robe walked over to him. “Huai Qing, what are you looking at?” he asked.

“Cheng Yu Xiong, what kind of person do you think His Majesty is?”

“His Majesty ah, that depends on what you’re asking. If you look at Da Huan as a whole, His Majesty is a capable emperor. Under his rule, Da Huan has calm seas and clear rivers, and foreign enemies don’t dare to intrude. But I’m afraid it’s a bit troublesome to be one of His Majesty’s officials.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You heard what they were just saying downstairs. Before the case of Imperial Censor Zhang, His Majesty arrested or imprisoned people or dealt summarily with ministers without giving any reason. After a while, rumors began to spread about His Majesty’s ruthlessness and cruelty. I don’t know who influenced him, but now His Majesty actually explains the true state of affairs to the public.”

“It seems that Cheng Yu Xiong has a good impression of His Majesty.”

“That’s naturally true. Otherwise I wouldn’t have come all the way to the capital to take the exam.”

After the beginning of spring, candidates from around the empire traveled to the capital for the imperial examination. As it welcomed the examinees, the city gradually began to bustle with noise and excitement.

Shen Yu also heard about this from Shang JunLin.

“They came so early?” There was still a long time before the spring exam. To think some of them had already arrived in the capital! Shen Yu felt a little surprised.

“It’s the same every time. Some people come early to settle in. They want to avoid performing badly because they’re not used to the environment,” Shang JunLin explained.

Shen Yu climbed out of Shang JunLin’s arms with sparkling eyes. “Does that mean the capital will become more and more lively?”

When he met Shen Yu’s bright eyes, Shang JunLin laughed in spite of himself. “A lot of restaurants, teahouses and bookstores specially prepare for the examinees. Does Ah Yu want to see them?” 

Shen Yu nodded eagerly. “If I miss it, I’ll have to wait another three years for the next one, Your Majesty~~~”

Shen Yu deliberately drawled the final sound, like a hook that tickled the heart.

Shang JunLin pressed down the hand that was messing around on his shoulder and gently squeezed it. “The reason this emperor mentioned it is because I’d like to take you out. Didn’t you say last time that you wanted to go to the village? Tell Mu Xi to pack some clothes. We’ll stay outside for a couple of days.”

The unexpected joy came so suddenly that Shen Yu’s shock could be seen at a glance. “So Your Majesty has been planning this for a few days? I wasn’t fair to Your Majesty.”

Shang JunLin smiled as he moved closer. “Then how will Ah Yu express it? Why not give this emperor a kiss?”

TL Notes:

cute little thing – 小娃娃 – xiǎo wáwá – baby, little doll

elderly concubine – 老太妃 – old/elderly lady concubine

impertinent – 跳脱 – forward, aggressive, jumpy

demoted to commoners – 降为白衣 – reduced to white clothes (of commoners without rank)

calm seas and clear rivers – 海晏河清 – peace and tranquility under heaven; the world is at peace; the Yellow River is clear and the sea has no waves, a metaphor for peace and prosperity in the world

spring exam – 春闱 – Also known as the metropolitan exam or conference exam (会试). The metropolitan civil service examination was held triennially in the national capital in the spring. It was open to scholars known as juren (举人) who’d passed the provincial/township exams held triennially in the provincial capitals (Wikipedia) Chart

imperial exam – A civil-service examination system in Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The exams served to ensure a common knowledge of writing, Chinese classics, and literary style among state officials. There was a roughly three-tiered ladder of exams from the local to provincial to court level. Most of those who passed came from an elite background, but the exams offered the possibility of advancement to males of non-elite status (Wikipedia)

Transliterated names, places, and titles—new in this chapter:

Imperial Grandfather – 皇爷爷 – huáng yéyé – emperor paternal grandfather

Huai Qing – 怀清

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Cheng Yu – 承宇

Xiong – 兄 – elder brother, a courteous form of address between men